Straying or Staying?
by Wildespeaks
Summary: Franky has requested Joe and Dex's presence at her airbase, Dex and Joe are fighting, and a handsome new mechanic has joined the Force to work with Dex. Joe x Dex
1. Life and its Misconceptions

Summary: Joe and Dex take a trip to Commander Frank Cook's flying base in the sky because of a request for Dex's expertise.

A/N: Part of my series of oneshots starting with Lacking Emotion that's followed by An Inclination. You don't have to read the other two, but it helps.

This one is going to have more than one chapter.

Also, if you don't like slash, please press that nice little arrow that's pointing to the left of your screen, which just happens to be the back button. You don't need to read something you don't like, I don't really care; it's an agreement. We'll just agree to disagree and it'll be totally fine. You'll not have wasted your time and you'll not have gotten my hopes up of giving my story a hit. So please, don't leave me a nasty little review because you don't like this type of pairing.

Another thing, I'm not the most plane oriented person, so forgive my lack of knowledge. All I know is you need clearance to land or you will probably die.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, although, I'm sure I own the DVD.

* * *

The rumbling of the Sky Captain's modified Curtiss P-40 Warhawk made it impossible for Dex to speak to his Captain. No matter that, though, because Joe had been distant since Dex had discovered him with Polly Perkins after he had told the Brit that he didn't want her on the base. Dex's eyebrows furrowed at the memory of seeing Polly waltzing out of Joe's office, her sharp reporter's eyes honing in on the poor mechanic as he tried to retreat to his own office. She had been extremely civil to him, like she always was, but she had brushed him off like a fly before sashaying away.

It had nearly broken Dex's heart to see her there; _nearly_.

Dex's eyes trained themselves to the back of Joe's head, his light brown locks securely covered by the pilot's hat and goggles he always wore. He had no idea what he'd done wrong, why Joe wasn't so in love with him any more, why the Cap'n seemed to lose interest and go right back to the woman he hated to love. Dex nearly sighed, but chose to relay that action, as it could warrant a heated argument between the two; something else that had recently developed.

They had been fighting, something they hadn't done when they were friends and hadn't done before Joe's sudden need to go out every night. Now they fought as if it were something to do, it was generally the only way of conversing with each other. So they fought and, even though he gave it his best, Joe always managed to win and Dex was always the poor sap in the end. An empty feeling suddenly took hold of Dex, its center the middle of Dex's chest, making him feel as if a hole had suddenly been forced into his heart. Tears welled in his eyes, but the mechanic closed his eyelids quickly and leaned back, taking a shaky, but calming breath in through his nose and releasing it out his mouth.

"Are you alright, Dex?" Dex nearly jumped out of his skin as Joe's voice filled the cabin of the plane, somehow overcoming the sound of the engine and the propeller. Dex gave his all to put on his classic half smile, but it came off as fake and forced.

"I'm fine, Cap'n. Don't worry about me." He spoke, his voice slightly meek as he tried to ignore the fact that he felt hollow and suddenly extremely depressed. Joe seemed to be satisfied with this, as he gave up speaking to Dex and chose to pick up the short wave radio and call in for clearance to land. Dex's brow furrowed at the Captain's behavior, knowing full well that the old Joe would've pick up on anything Dex felt and would've nearly climbed into the seat behind him to make sure the mechanic was truly alright. Just as Dex was finally about to let out his pent up sigh, the looming figure of Commander Frank Cook's flying base (something he himself had a hand in designing) broke through the cloud barrier and made its way into his field of vision.

"Sky Captain, you have permission to land." The crisp voice of the air traffic controller responded, the man's quaint, but deep British accent suddenly reminding Dex where they were going and why.

"I'm to report to Franky, you're to report to the new mechanic's quarters. He's supposed to brief you on the problems the base has been having while Franky and I catch up." Joe condescended to Dex, causing the smaller man's brow to furrow. Joe was being moody and, now that he was going to see Franky, he was all self-important once more.

'Yep, _now_ he's the Sky Captain.' Dex thought as he rolled his eyes, duly noting that they landing gear was being lowered on the 'Polly'.

"Dex, did you hear me?" Joe asked, giving Dex a momentary glance, "Or is your head stuck in a comic book?" The other man mocked, making Dex glare at the back of the other man's head.

"I heard you Cap'n, sorry sir." Dex spoke formally, trying his best not to sound like a smart ass as he answered the Captain.

"Good." Joe simply stated, seemingly purposely not saying the affectionate 'Good boy, Dex' like he used to. Dex felt his heart sink and a surprised look appeared on his face before his brow returned to its furrowing and he fished in his pocket for a piece of Double Bubble gum.

The plane hit the ground and bounced, then slowed its pace until Joe had parked the Warhawk in a row of airplanes on the flying base. Then, without paying any attention to his passenger, Joe threw back the visor, pulled the key out of the ignition, and hoisted himself out of the cockpit without a single glance at Dex. Another wound to the mechanic's severely beaten heart before he even got to get out of the plane.

"Gee whiz, Cap'n, you're sure a swell guy today." Dex muttered sarcastically as he clambered out of the plane, adjusting the visor to the proper position before standing to his full height on the left wing. Easily Dex managed to get off the wing, a feat for a man his height, before standing straight once again on the solid cement of the flying base. Then, with a few slight turns, Dex popped his back before heading off in the direction of the shop, former visits and a designer's knowledge of the base reminding him of where everything was.

Dex's work boots began their own melody of 'clump-clack' as he made his way into the shop that he supposed the new mechanic would have taken over in the young man's absence. A smile grew upon the gum smacking man as the smell of oil and sweat pervaded the air; a familiar scent to one whose life had been accompanied by these scents for a good while. That's when he saw it, the latest in Franky's arsenal, the latest invention by her new mechanic, the new Curtiss XP – 37.

"Shazam!" Dex breathed, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open in awe of the beautiful machine before him.

"A beauty, isn't it?" A deep, accented voice spoke from behind Dex, startling him into turning around. A man with dark brown hair and matching chocolate colored eyes stood before him, slightly towering over the smaller man. His face was smudged with grease and his hair was wavy, looking as if someone had run their hands through it several times in the past hour. He was also built, but not overly so, as much as Dex could tell, and he was wearing an open dress shirt with a white men's tank underneath. His posture was laid back, easy-going, and open; as if he would be any man's friend unless they double crossed him.

"I've yet to name her, but she's had a few suggestions. You wouldn't have one, by any chance, would you?" Australian, his voice was touched up with a deep Australian accent and he was asking Dex a question.

"Huh? Oh, uh…well, I dunno, sir." Dex spoke, his mind trying to place the man to the occupation before an idea struck his genius brain. "You wouldn't happen to be Mr. Westbrook, would you?"

"Well, indeed I am. You must be Mr.….?" The man questioned, leaning towards Dex as he slowly meandered past the younger mechanic and stood in front of the plane, his eyes never leaving Dex's.

"I'm Dex, sir, the mechanic that Commander Cook called in." The man's eyes lit up as he spoke, a grin pulling itself across Mr. Westbrook's face.

"Well, Dex, it seems fate has brought us together. We'll be working on the base together for most of our time, which I'm sure Francesca's informed you of, so you can call me Terry. It's my first name and since we'll be working together, I'd prefer to be called it. Mr. Westbrook bugs me; it makes me sound like a pissy old wanker who's got a stick up his ar-."

"Dex, I see you've met Mr. Westbrook." The voice of none other than Franky Cook cut off Terry as he spoke, making him pause in his speech and force them both to turn in surprise so as to face the formidable woman. A small smile had found its way onto the female Commander's face, the eyebrow above her visible eye raised in amusement as she stood, hands behind her back and arms akimbo, her legs spread as though she were in an 'at ease' position. Her body language demanded respect, but something in her eye seemed to soften as she saw the big grin on Dex's face and the sheepish look on Terry's.

"Franky!" Dex felt as though he were a small boy visiting his older sister whilst on holiday as he saw his longtime friend before him. The urge to hug the woman overcame him and he shot forward, pulling her into a fierce hug, which she returned with a polite pat. He pulled away, still grinning like a madman, and took a step or two back. "I thought Joe was going to catch up with you?"

"Joe? He's just taken off to go on a supply run with a few of the amphibious squadron. We're near enemy territory, so they're going under radar. The submarines won't even stand a chance." Franky spoke, pride in both Joe and her fleet evident as she spoke.

"Left?" Dex felt as though he was a child; the last to know everything and always being told.

"Yes, Joseph asked me to tell you. Now, Mr. Westbrook, care to explain to Dex what his duties are for today? I would love to stay and chat, but we need to avert our course or we'll be given away and the Germans will have a bloody conniption." Franky spoke, her voice commanding, but somewhat laced with kindness; a feat which only Franky Cook could accomplish.

"I was just getting to that." Terry spoke, but Franky didn't acknowledge he even existed as she made an about-face turn and marched off, her entourage that usually accompanied her filing in behind.

"That woman will be the death of me one day, I just know it." Terry joked, pulling Dex out of his thoughts and into the present.

"Yeah, Franky's something else." Dex joked back, returning the grin that the other mechanic was giving him. "So, what are we to do today Mr. Wes—Terry?"

"We're going to try and figure out what the bloody hell is wrong with this base, then we're going to have a few glasses of scotch, because I'm sure it's going to be something of a pain in the arse." Terry joked, causing Dex's grin to widen before they set off to the control room to gather information.

* * *

Laughter filled the hallway as two men, one shorter than the other, made their way drunkenly down the hall. They stumbled closer and closer to their destinations, the taller man holding an empty flask in his hand while the smaller seemed to be supporting both their weights. This had become their routine in the two weeks that Dex and the Sky Captain had stayed on the air base; work long hours, drink until they became extremely drunk, fall asleep somewhere (sometimes they made it to their rooms), wake up, try to cure hangover, go at it again. It became a never ending vicious cycle, but it appeared to be a productive one as both Terry and Dex became the genius team Franky had hoped they would become.

"Hey, hey, hey…..hey Terry! We should _totally _do this again. I mean, _shazam_, that stuff was GREAT!" Dex managed to slur out, his usually pale, boyish face grinning and rosy cheeked as they slumped against the wall outside of Dex and the Captain's living quarters. Joe had requested they stay in different rooms, but had asked that they be next to each other. It was something else that had told Dex that they were slowly drifting apart.

"Dex." Terry stated, trying his best to give the younger man a serious look, but coming off as a grinning idiot.

"Yeah, West?" Dex had taken to calling the other since, well, since they'd started celebrating a job well done at about nine PM that night.

"I think, and this is jus' my thought, but….I think we do this _every night_." Terry (or 'West') stated, causing them to both stare at each other intensely for a few seconds before bursting out in unrestrained laughter.

"We _do _don't we?" Dex questioned loudly, earning a 'shhh' from his companion, which only caused them to laugh louder. Then they slid down the wall behind them as they laughed, carefree and oblivious to how much noise they were making. Several yells of 'Shut yer yaps' and 'Quiet down out there!' sounded from the rooms around them, but this only caused them to laugh louder; that is, until they managed to pass out sometime around three AM.

Joe found them leaning against the wall at around six in the morning after managing to ignore them most of the night. A sad smile formed on his face before he turned back around and shut the door, returning to his bed to find comfort in the arms of the body wrapped in his comforter. It was at this moment that Dex and West (as he now was known as by the whole base, via a very loud sing along in the mess hall around ten the night before) chose to wake up, both clutching their heads in pain.

"Aw man, my noggin' is killing me." Dex groaned, his voice hoarse as he crawled over West's legs, which were spread out in front of the Australian.

"Noggin'? Did you just say 'noggin'?" West questioned, his own voice cracking and also slightly hoarse from singing every line to their latest hit single 'West and Dest, the two buckaroos from kangarooville', that had something up to fifty lines to it.

"Aw, shuddup West." Dex spoke just as he managed to open what he thought was his door, but happened to be Joe's. Never in Dex's life had he been 'one of the guys' before, but when he'd befriended the snarky Australian mechanic (who also had an affinity for comic books and sometimes chewing gum) he'd been thrown into the stereotype of being 'one of the guys'. He had even started to feel as if his time away from Joe was strengthening their bond, giving them time apart to sort out how they truly felt before they completely ripped each other's hearts out.

There was a new feeling in Dex's heart, one of contentment, and he planned to keep it that way for as long as he could. Sadly for Dex, rarely any of his plans actually go according to plan.

Laughing, Dex opened the door most of the way, catching sight of the Captain doing what appeared to be push ups in bed. Just as Dex was about to ask Joe what in the name of Flash he was doing, a woman's moan issued from the bed as said furniture squeaked underneath the Captain. Dex's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, his old gum he had started chewing at three in the morning falling onto the floor in his surprise. Every nerve ending in Dex's ears stood on edge as he listened to the moans of both of them, unable to turn away as he stared in horror. Then they both cried out in pleasure, the woman's voice slightly deep and British while Joe's remained the same as Dex had heard it once before.

"I'm glad you've still got it." Joe spoke, unknowingly to an audience as well as the woman. The woman sat up so that the right side of her face could be seen, a smile pulling itself onto her full lips.

"Glad to see you're not dead down there, Joseph." An all too familiar voice spoke.

'FRANKY!' Dex's mind went into overdrive, his heart ripping itself into shreds and his all dignity flying out the window. Two of the people he trusted the most had just betrayed him; one knowingly and the other clueless. Just when Dex didn't think it could get any worse, Franky spotted him.

"Dex?" Franky asked, her voice sounding less commanding and official than it usually did, the voice she had reserved for the shaking young mechanic. Joe froze at the mention of the mechanic, his entire body going ridged.

"Dex, dear, what's wrong?" Franky's eye took note of the tears streaming down the mechanic's face, something he didn't seem to notice, and the quivering of the young man's body. "Dex, are you sick?"

"I…" Dex tried to speak, but his throat ran dry, his eyes fixated on Joe's unmoving form.

"I have to go." Dex said, quickly pulling the door shut and momentarily slumping against it.

"Wha-? What happened, Dex?" West snapped to, having fallen back to sleep against the wall the he had been stationed at before. Dex didn't answer, he couldn't, and so he did the next best thing and grabbed West by the shirtsleeve and dragged him off towards the shop.

"Where are we going? Dex? What's going on?" West's deep voice finally seemed to bring back some of the humanity Dex had just lost. They stopped halted halfway there, Dex turning them both so they could face each other.

"We're going to the shop. We're going to pretend we're working and we're going to take your Sheila and we're going to get clearance to get off this base. Then we're not going to return for the rest of the day. We're staying wherever we want and then we're coming back tomorrow. Sound good?" Dex practically told the older man, causing the other's brow to furrow in confusion before nodding his assent.

"Alright Dex, it'll be our day off." He said, grinning so that he might lift the other's spirits. Dex, however, couldn't feel a thing and gave his friend the best he could muster. A fake smile and a pretend look of mischievousness.

It was time to put on a show.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Check out the next chapter in a few. :)

Please review kindly, if at all!

Thank you,

-Aimze

P.S. If you can guess who the actor would be for West/Terry/Mr. Westbrook, you win a prize. I mean it. A real prize. :)


	2. Planes and Deception

**Recap:** Joe has turned away from Dex for some unknown reason and Dex has finally decided that he's tired of it.

**A/N:** I'd like to thank my two reviewers from the other two, by the way. Thank you so much for reviewing, it boosted my writing mechanism in my brain. Got the 'ole hamster wheel a spinnin'. :)

**Caution: **Nazis are mentioned. So, if you're allergic, don't read.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, if I did, then I would have a little bit of a different ending.

* * *

"Why, Joseph?" Franky's voice was tender, the complete opposite of the righteous indignation that she had earlier displayed when she beat him senseless. Now they sat, on the right wing of the 'Polly' Joe had been thinking of repainting, Joe's eyes like a raccoon's and his nose covered in a small bandage. Joe clung tighter to the soft blanket that Franky had brought for him when she'd gone looking for him.

"How did you find me, Franky?" Joe's voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot and still gleaming with the tears that threatened to start falling again. He had cried for two hours straight, like a small child who had been caught doing something wrong, before he had picked himself up and went to the one thing on the base that wouldn't judge him. He had been sitting on his plane, clothed in his usual baggy pants, but without his signature jacket. Franky had found him and brought him a blanket, ordering many of the people working on projects around the plane to 'shove off'.

"This is the plane that Dex rebuilt for you. It has his blood, sweat, and tears in every stain, every part, and every memory. Also, your bedroom still smells like betrayal, and this is the one place I knew you would go." She was being soothing, something Franky had only been once around him. He had been in the Manchurian death camp for six months and she had found him, rescued him, and taken care of him. Then she had introduced him to Dex. His chest tightened as he thought about the young mechanic and the want to hold him in his arms filled him to the brim.

"Well Joseph. I'm waiting." She grinned, nudging him with her shoulder as they sat next to each other on the Polly's wing. She was trying to lighten up the mood, something that he hadn't expected from her after she had kneed him in the groin and broken his nose. Did he mention she beat him bloody?

"I've been receiving threats, and before you say anything along the lines of 'who would threaten you' or 'how did they get to you' let me explain everything." He looked to her for her compliance, which she gave in the form of a nod.

"I've been finding notes in my house, at the office, even in my plane—my bloody _plane _for fucks sake-and I don't know what to do! They're getting past security, they're watching me, and they're watching Dex." Joe spoke, his voice grave and hoarse as he tried to reign in the fear the enveloped him at the thought of someone hurting Dex. "They said that if I don't stop seeing him altogether then they would kill him. They would kill him and then they would leave his bloody corpse in my bed to frame me! They would kill the person I love more than anything and they would frame his death on me! They would make his family think I killed him, a jealous lover, unless I forced him to go away….but with Dex, I knew I couldn't just tell him I couldn't see him any more…because he'd always come up with a way to make things better and then there's the fact that he'd always be around and then-."

"Joseph, I understand, now move on." Franky interrupted his rant, her brow furrowing as she spotted several tears fall down the usually strong Sky Captain's cheeks. She had only ever seen Joe break down like this once before and it was when he had been tortured for six months in Manchuria to give up the location of their squadron and their leader: her.

"Right…well, I tried to find out who they were. I tried every connection, even calling Polly and having her come to the base to check things out. That didn't go well with Dex and I couldn't stand to hurt him, even though I knew I had to push him away, I just-I just couldn't, and I knew if he did he wouldn't stay away long enough for me to find them out. So I thought of coming to you, hoping you could help, but when Dex met Terry, I thought that maybe he would forget about me. He seems so happy with Terry, so I thought that maybe I could just leave them alone…but no, Dex still would come into my room and lay down beside me and I would have given anything in the world to hold him then, to stop him from escaping, from going back to Terry, but I couldn't so….when he kissed me yesterday morning after he had slept in my bed and ran off to go play with Terry's new plane, I knew I had to do something….so I used you. You may now hate me forever and a day, Francesca. I promise you, I won't hold it against you." Joe's head hung low as he spoke, not willing to meet Franky's gaze as she stared at him, her right eye boring into his skull.

"You couldn't have just gone the easy way and told Dex about the notes?" She reasoned after a few minutes, allowing him to let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

"They said they would kill him if he was alerted….apparently they know everything that he does, how he acts…Christ, they must have been stalking him forever! They even knew his favorite gum, his favorite comic, and…." Joe's voice tapered off as an idea struck him, causing his poor abused eyes to widen and his body to tense.

"Franky, how well do you know Terry Westbrook?" He questioned the woman beside him, his head turning so that he could see her fully. A look of utter surprise etched itself onto Franky's face as his question sunk in.

"Do you have the notes with you, Joseph?" She calmly asked, her gaze turning to steel and her voice becoming her usual 'no-nonsense' tone.

"I do." He affirmed, his heart clenching at what they both had just realized.

"I have blueprints to his new XP-37. They're handwritten. We should be able to identify whether or not he is the perpetrator and whether or not Dex's life is safe." Franky spoke as she hoisted herself off of the wing, turning about-face so that she could speak to Joe as he jumped down as well.

"I'll get the notes and you get the blueprints."

"Joseph, you've read my mind."

* * *

They had been given clearance to take off an hour ago and they had yet to discuss where they were going. Dex had tried many times to strike up a conversation with Terry about the place that Terry said they would be going to, but the older man had said 'it's a surprise' and shrugged it off. Now Dex was getting worried as they continued flying above the cloud line, unable to see the ocean below.

"Y'know, I don't know about you West, but this usually isn't viewed as the best way to find a landmass in the middle of an ocean in my opinion." Dex tried, but only received a hearty laugh from his companion.

"Don't worry Dex, we're almost there, mate." West called back, not even glancing back at his passenger to see if the smaller male was alright with this answer.

Dex shifted uncomfortably as he sat in the XP-37's additional seat, relatively worried over the determined look on West's face and the strange feeling he was getting in his gut. He had had this once before, when Totenkopf had sent his robots to the base to find him, and he knew something was wrong by the way the man had let him track their signal. No self respecting bad guy would give away his location unless he, himself, wanted to track his enemy. Suddenly, Dex felt the earth dive as they shot through the clouds in a rapid descent, Terry's hands forcing the control in the downwards direction.

"Terry, what are you doing?" Dex cried before the other man pulled up just in the nick of time as they nearly crashed into the ocean. Dex knew, from viewing the other man's blueprints, that this plane was not modified yet to be part of the amphibious squadron and Dex would like to keep it from trying.

"Sorry mate, just wanted to get there a bit quicker than usual. A rapid descent always helps." The Australian answered, a strange smile contorting the other man's face as he steered them over the ocean, its waters barely feet away from the plane's belly.

"Where are we going again, West?" Dex questioned, craning his neck to try and look for any land mass of some sort.

"There." Terry spoke, pointing towards the fog in front of them.

"What…?" Dex questioned, not understanding before he looked closer and saw something he hadn't seen before.

A large ship was poking its bow through the fog, aimed straight for the low flying aircraft they currently resided in, and flying high on one of the three flag poles was none other than the flag of Germany.

"I don't understand." Dex spoke, looking to his friend for some form of explanation.

"You don't understand _now _Dexter, but you will….soon enough."

* * *

"Joe…he crosses his t's the same way, he draws his ones and nines like a European, he slashes his zeros like an army officer, and they script on these notes exactly matches the script on these blueprints….also, the way he phrases things…they're very…." Franky paused a moment, her brow furrowing in both anger and wonder.

"They're very what, Franky? What?" Joe snapped, anxiously awaiting her answer.

"They're very proper, Joseph. Proper and well worded, filled with emotion, but not enough. Also, there are several instances where he mentions that you and Dex are an abomination, that you should be….well, terminated…but that Dex is an important component of something more…something bigger than you'll ever know." She replied, her hands clenching around the edges of the paper so hard that Joe was afraid they'd rip.

"Franky…?" Joe questioned her, trying to understand her sudden change in tone; from wonder to absolute disgust and fury.

"He's a neo-Nazi, Joe. He's a neo-Nazi and he wants Dex because Dex is brilliant." Franky said, turning her body so that they were facing each other and placing her hands on his shoulders to stabilize the Sky Captain.

"Oh…._God_….then…?" Realization fell on Joe like a hailstorm of bricks.

"He was trying to break you up so that Dex would play into his hands." Franky answered for him, worry filling her eye.

"He played the both of you. He made you hurt the one you love so that he could be there in Dex's time of need and then he could kidnap him." Anger dripped from her every word as she spoke, her words only affirming Joe's greatest fears.

"Oh Dex, what have I done?"

* * *

AHA! Joe isn't too bad of a guy, now is he? TERRY IS. D: Sadly, I kind of feel bad for doing this to Terry. He was so loveable. I'll make him a better person one day in another fanfiction.

**A/N: **I'm a WWII buff, so if I messed up on something, please tell me, so that I can become that much more knowledgeable. :)

If you have any questions or suggestions, then please, by all means, message me. I'll get back to you as quick as I can.

Thank you for reading, I hope you continue!

-Aimze

P.S. Please review kindly, if at all!


	3. Herr Kommandant

Recap: Dex has been stolen and Joe has explained to Franky as to why he broke Dex's heart.

A/N: I've had the new strain of flu for a while now….so, I'm sorry for the wait, but it really couldn't be helped. My immune system hates me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, I just wish I did.

* * *

"Control, I need to speak with the current shift leader." The voice of the Squadron leader crackled over the radio in the control room, alerting the current air traffic controller that he was needed.

"Sergeant Mays, ma'am." The young officer replied, pressing the hold button to do so.

"Sergeant, I need you to check your log for departing planes. I need you to find the XP-37; a Mr. Terry Westbrook should have radioed the last man on shift to have clearance for departure." The young sergeant's posture straightened immediately, as if the Squadron leader was in the room, before quickly rolling his chair to the desk adjacent to him, grabbing the flight logs, and returning to his original post. Rifling through the log's pages, Mays quickly found the departures dated for today.

"They left two hours ago." Mays replied, trying his best to be as helpful to the Commander as possible.

"Thank you Sergeant Mays. Sky Captain and I will be requesting clearance for departure soon. That is all." A small crackle and Commander Cook was gone, leaving the young Mays to sigh in relief.

"Blast, that woman's scary…"

* * *

"West….what's going on?" They had touched down on the landing strip on the deck of the ship rather terribly, in Dex's mind (as he compared West's flying abilities to Joe's), and they now stood in a room below deck. Dex, in laymen's terms, was scared beyond imagine, but was trying to hold it together; in other words, what would Joe do?

'Joe wouldn't have been stupid enough to let him land.' Dex reprimanded himself in his mind, his inner Dex shaking his fist at him in a threatening manner, 'In fact, he wouldn't have gone at all. Cap'n knows people much better than you, you dunce.'

"Well, Dex, we're going to talk to the Commander about making a few of those underwater planes like the XP-37 and then, we're not going to have any more use for you." The friendliness that had been in West's tone at the beginning of his statement faded as he spoke, his eyes steeling over. His gaze tore through Dex like a super-villain would a weakened superhero, but Dex wouldn't let him see how he had affected him. In response to the apparent threat, Dex had let his body relax and a small 'Sky Captain' like smirk appear on his face; a vision of 'playing it cool'.

"Well, golly, and here I thought you were just going to kill a bunch of people, try to take over the world while working under the rule of a madman, and kick puppies." West's gaze hardened even more as Joe's words once spoken on the subject of the Nazi's flowed out of his mouth.

"The Füher is not someone to joke about so lightly, Dexter. He's helping to build a new world free of all those who do not meet the criteria for the master race." The man opposite him seemed to become even more soldier like and steely as they stood there, in their less inviting environment while Dex stood on edge, trying not to channel Joe anymore. Apparently, what would Sky Captain Joe Sullivan do was not what he should do in this situation.

"West….why me? Why are you doing this to me?" Dex tried to reason, trying to return to their former friendly nature. The traitorous human before him only ignored him as the door to the room slammed shut, the younger mechanic jumping as he hadn't noticed it open, and a blonde haired blue eyed man strode towards them with an easy gate.

"You ask so many questions Mr. Dexter. Please, allow me to answer them." The new man's easy way of speaking and the sudden stiffening of the Australian's posture made Dex wary, his eyes lowering their gaze slightly so as not to directly meet the imposing mans own crystalline blue gaze.

"And…who might you be?" Dex tried to sound uncaring, like Joe sometimes did when he didn't want to know what a girl's name was or who was now mayor or if Polly was ever going to leave them alone, but failed slightly as he paused out of fear.

"I am one of the high ranking Generals of the third Reich, Heinrich Von Stauffenberg." [1] Stauffenberg lips turned up into an easy smile, something Dex had never imagined a Nazi had the ability to, before striding forward and motioning towards a chair that Dex hadn't seen in the room before. Apparently, he was being incredibly unobservant at the moment, but one tends to do that when kidnapped by Nazis.

Uneasily Dex made his way to the chair, only sitting down when the Kommandant had nodded towards the furniture and said 'please', as if to be polite, before sitting down across the suddenly there table as well and in yet another mysteriously appearing chair. Several moments passed, in which were filled with the motions of the Kommandant taking his hat off and placing it on the table, his gloves soon following, and his body leaning back to rest against the back of the chair. Then he proceeded to stare at Dex, as if assessing him like an adversary does; Dex following suit and taking in all the was the Kommandant.

Metals, such as the Iron Cross and several indistinguishable ones, adorned the Kommandant's military uniform like they were prizes. They seemed never-ending, at least, until they were outdone by the stark contrast of the red band on his left arm, bearing the Swastika; the mark of the Nazi regime. That, in itself, was relatively unnerving, but to have that backed up by the metals nearly had Dex shaking in his boots; not to mention that Westbrook was staring him down like a hungry Rottweiler.

'Shazam….I'm in big trouble now. Thanks a lot, Westbrook, you traitor.' Dex's own gaze hardened, but, as soon as it did, it became nervous again; as if he was afraid Westbrook could hear his thoughts. To confirm this thought, Dex quickly glanced towards West to see if his demeanor had changed in any way. The Kommandant's eyes seemed to follow his gaze, much to Dex's benefit.

"Heir Westbrook, please take your leave so that I may interrogate Mister Dexter by easier means than making him sweat out the answers to my questions." The Kommandant [2] spoke, his voice full of finality, now allowing West to argue before he left, his body rigid with hatred for the young mechanic that he had acted as a friend to. Dex's body relaxed slightly, finding that the gaze of the Kommandant was less stifling than West's, even though he was clearly more dangerous.

"Now, Mister Dexter, we may plan your escape in peace."

* * *

"Franky, we should have left by now! Dex and that damnable man could be anywhere by now!" Joe's frustration leaked through every word as paced behind Franky, who was standing at ease next to the Morse-code men who received intelligence when there was no way for someone to use the radio. Currently, poor Sergeant Mays was on duty, and was passing information from the Squadron leader to one of Franky's secret operatives. A message was soon tapped in, Mays adjusting his headphones before taking down the reply to Franky's request for information. She had recently asked one of her higher ranking operatives whether or not Dex was aboard some ship, or something along the like. Mays was rather grating when it came to his Morse code. Joe had been raring to quickly type it out for him just so they could move along.

"Read it aloud for Mr. Sullivan here, Sergeant." Franky spoke as Mays finished penning the message on a notepad.

"Man aboard vessel, stop. Willing to sacrifice some standing, stop. Will try to implicate Westbrook, stop. Will have boy home soon, stop. Will need assistance in defecting afterwards, stop." Mays read, his crisp British accent making it hard to imagine it coming from anyone else, especially someone who was supposed to be so high ranking that he could only be contacted once every couple of months.

"Well, Joseph, it looks like we're going aboard the SMS _Weißenburg_." [3] Franky spoke, a smirk evident in her tone. Joe only stared at her in disbelief, his body on auto-pilot as he followed her to what he thought would be the hangar to go and rescue Dex from what could end up as certain doom.

* * *

"I'm not sure I understand, Heir Stauffenberg." Westbrook spoke, his voice full of confusion as he stood outside the Kommandant's own lodgings aboard the ship. He had forfeited them to the young mechanic, claiming he would personally see that their guest was well guarded during the wee hours of the evening and night. No one questioned the Kommandant, usually, but Westbrook stood questioning a man of higher authority than he; knowing full well of Dex's sexuality and of how bad it would look for the Kommandant.

"I will not be sleeping with him, Sie Einfaltspinsel [4]; I will be sleeping on the sofa next to the bed. He will not be out of my sight. He is too valuable." The Kommandant's tone held the same finality as before, but Westbrook seemed not to notice.

"With all due respect Heir Stauffenberg, I have been able to build the XP-37 by myself without any help from the yank in there." Westbrook's tone seemed affronted, but the Kommandant waved it off.

"Of course you have, but you haven't been able to make them fly underwater, now have you?"

"I….no, Heir Kommandant, I have not." Westbrook deflated as he spoke, knowing he had lost the battle.

"Then, it is settled." The Kommandant spoke, opening the door to his chambers, halfway and nearly stepping through before rolling back on his heels and undoing the process.

"And also, Heir Westbrook, might I remind you not to refer to me as Heir Stauffenberg. You are of no rank and I am of a high respect. Your over-familiarity could be questioned and also could be counted as insubordination." The man's voice turned cold, his German accent seemingly becoming more pronounced as he spoke. Westbrook nearly took a step back as the usually amiable Kommandant of the SMS _Weißenburg _showed why his was the higher ranking man.

"Ja, Herr Kommandant." Westbrook's posture straightened significantly, nearly saluting the General, before the man gave a dismissive gesture and he was off, nearly running down the hallway to get away from the imposing Aryan man.

* * *

"We won't be going today, Joseph, we'd ruin the Kommandant's plan completely. He had reason to keep Dex with him for a week at the max before he can even get them off the ship." Franky tried to reason with the Sky Captain as he paced angrily, not at all happy with the plans that Franky and this so called 'Stauffenberg' had made with each other. Apparently, they weren't going to retrieve Dex, the General was going to fly Dex to them. That way, if they were caught, the Nazi's wouldn't have their planes to use as guides and Dex wouldn't be disposable. This, however, did not seem to put Joe's mind at ease. In fact, his thoughts were racing, as he paced, coming up with impossible schemes to get back to Dex before the so called 'operative' could make an amphibious plane.

"For God Sakes Joseph, stop pacing or you'll wear a hole in the floor and I'll have to hit you for another thing today!" Franky cried, exasperated at the Sky Captain as he continued to pace, despite her insistence that he was going to fall through into another person's quarters. Franky sighed, annoyed by Joe's impatience and at the situation altogether. The other paid no notice to her, choosing to destroy whatever varnish had been on the floor, which then became the varnish on Joe's boots as he moved about nervously.

"Joseph, I _will _shoot you if you refuse to stop fidgeting!" Franky's voice echoed as she yelled, causing the Sky Captain to halt and turn to face her.

"I can't! It's my fault he's there! I-I-I…." Joe faltered his voice cracking as he spoke, his mouth instantly dry for some reason.

"It's just….my fault." Joe spoke quietly, his head hanging in shame.

"You want him back, I want him back, it's the damn Nazi's fault, and nothing else! You just messed up, although you'll have to face him afterwards, and it can all be fixed with time. Now, stop pacing and try to get some rest, we leave in the morning." Franky's voice was calm, as if she was speaking to one of her soldiers, and failed to waver once. Joe was about to respond, but Franky stood up abruptly and left the room, murmuring "Bloody men" in her wake…

* * *

[1] Von Stauffenberg, sound familar? Maybe a certain Tom Cruise movie? Maybe a historical figure? Anyways, I knew Heinrich was considered a Germanic name and Von Stauffenberg was my default.

[2] Kommandant is commander, usually used for the head of prison camps [Hogan's Heroes anyone?]...I kind of guessed at this one. I don't know the hierarchy of the German Navy, but I guessed it was similar to the United States Navy, so I went with commander. I didn't want him to be an admiral because that position would be too high in the Navy for him to forfeit, but his General status could always be defected.

[3] Is an actual ship that was sunk during 1952-1953 that was given to the Ottoman Empire I believe after the war. I just didn't want to use the Bismark, because that's such a famous ship and it was actually sunk before this timeframe, I believe. _ß this character is also pronounced 'eisse' or something along those lines._

[4] "You simpleton", because idiot is actually "Depp" in German, and that would look strange...and simpleton also would signify that West is of lower rank.

Finally, Chapter 3. I've been sick and busy, so…pardon for the lateness! I know it's kind of short...but, I wanted to get it to you as soon as I could. I tried to use the correct German for everything, but if it's wrong, would you kindly point it out? I know maybe forty words in German...maybe. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it!

Please read and review kindly,

-Aimze


	4. The Kiss

Recap: Sky Captain and Franky are off to meet up with their contact, which has been revealed to be a high ranking officer in the enemy's navy. Dex gained a new ally, but lost a man who he thought was his friend.

A/N: Forgive my hiatus. I couldn't come up with anything to write and I didn't want to half-ass it….that, and I was too busy failing at life.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Sky Captain related, but I do have the DVD and it plays wonderfully in my PS3.

* * *

It took two flasks of whiskey, one of which was Franky's, before Joe even thought about sleeping last night. The guilt of having once again slept beside his best friend, the guilt of knowing he had betrayed the man he loved, and the guilt that he had let Dex be swept off by some bastard by the name of Westbrook had worn heavy on him all throughout the night. Dreams of Dex being tortured like he had been in Manchuria plagued him throughout the wee ours of the morning, the time at which he had almost been able to sleep, and had him drenched with sweat and worried.

"Would you please try to keep it together, Joseph, some of us would like to not be nearly thrown off a perfectly comfortable bed." Franky's voice startled him as he lay awake, his back turned to her so that he would be nowhere near touching her. They had slept in the clothes that they wore the day before, their thought process being that they could get a head start and make their rendezvous with their contact. It didn't matter to him, though, because he couldn't stand making physical contact at the moment, even if it was fully dressed in their daily attire.

"Sorry, Franky." He mumbled, his voice raw as he spoke, trying to sound as if he were the normal, snarky Sky Captain. He couldn't stand it if Franky pitied him any more than he knew she did now. No, he would have to act like they were going to save the day and Dex was going to be no worse for wear, just like he was the last time he was kidnapped.

A small smile grew on the Sky Captain's face as he thought about the last great adventure they'd all been on together. Everything had ended bright and well, even though Polly had forgotten to take the lens cap off of her camera in the end. That moment, however, wasn't as great as when they'd returned to base and began to rebuild. No, nothing could have been as great as he and Dex practically professed their undying love for each other. A chuckle almost made its way past his lips before he stopped himself, his mind automatically returning to recent events. The urge to beat his head against the headboard for being so stupid was quickly repressed, but barely held back.

"Joe. It's oh-five-hundred hours, we have clearance to leave now, so stop having a mental war and let's get on with our mission." Franky's voice came from behind him, surprising him once again at her stealth as he hadn't even noticed her getting up from the bed and gathering up her gear. Joe immediately sat up and began to gather his things, stopping only to open his nightstand's drawer and pull out a pack of double-bubble. A sentimental smile grew on his face before his whole expression changed to that of determination, his brow furrowing in mock anger. Quickly he finished gathering all of his things, including the gum, and with a quick few strides to the door, he was ready. With a quick look to the woman beside him he opened the door, words no longer needed between the two aviators as they exited the room.

* * *

Dex felt as if the Kommandant was trying to turn him into stone, or, at least, he'd deduced that after twenty minutes of being stared at. Dex could easily understand why the man was a high ranking official, even without the large display of war medals and the iron cross staring him in the face. The want to slowly slide out of his seat and underneath the table crossed Dex's mind before he mentally shook it, not quite understanding why he was so undeniably scared of the man.

True, the Kommandant was a Nazi and had most likely killed a lot of people or had been the reason why many had died, but the man was risking his life for Dex and potentially saving hundreds of thousands of others. They had taken Dex for one reason and one reason only, and that was because he was literally a certifiable genius. He had created the technology for the ability to fly a plane underwater, he'd created a ray gun, an air force base that actually flew in the air, and had easily taken down one of the top minds of science, Totenkopf. Although the last one he'd had help with, the others had been all him, and he had so many ideas for so much more, he was scared.

What if the Kommandant was killed trying to get him out of there? What if Joe and Franky were killed trying to save him? What would happen if West mentioned to one of the crew that his lover was a man? What if they found out that his family had some Jewish heritage? The 'what ifs' began to run so quickly through Dex's brain that he felt dizzy and disoriented; each what if bringing with it scenarios of death and despair. It wasn't until a large hand grasped his shoulder that he felt stable enough to notice that the Kommandant was no longer sitting across from him, but kneeling next to his chair, his hand on his shoulder in a form of comfort. Dex's eyes widened a fraction of an inch as he body became rigid at the notion of any contact with the man, no matter how helpful he had been. The other man immediately retracted his hand and stood, noticing the way the mechanic tensed up under his touch.

"I apologize; I only meant to make sure you were alright." The Kommandant's tone was soft and understanding, a tone that Dex would have never expected from him, but apparently came out of the man all the same. He had spoken the same calm, easy way to Dex when they had been planning his means of escape the other day and yet still it caused the young mechanic a sliver of surprise.

"Naw, it's alright Kommandant, I just….I'm just…." Dex trailed off, unable to finish his thought as another formed in its place.

"Say, Kommandant….how come you're trying to defect?" He questioned the man who had returned to his seat across the table, the same one that they had sat at yesterday when he was 'questioned' by the other man. Icy blue eyes connected with his as their gazes met and for once in his life, Dex thought he'd gone a bit too far.

'_Something Joe would do on a daily bases.' _Dex nearly laughed at the thought before, he reigned himself in and managed return the intense stare that Kommandant seemed to be so especially good at. Several minutes passed by, their staring contest taking precedence over their ability to speak to each other before a sigh fell from the other man's lips and he looked away.

"I guess, since we've got some time before we meet up with my contact from Britain, I could tell you why I became an informant." The older man seemed resigned as his spoke, causing Dex's brow to furrow in confusion while the other man's face became somewhat of a myriad of emotions.

"In nineteen thirty-three [1] we all hoped that we would save ourselves by electing him to office. By nineteen thirty-nine [2] we were practically out of debt and we had built an army. We put our faith in the devil." The Kommandant's voice was soft, almost like a whisper, but his German accent was more pronounced somehow. His shoulders seemed to slump as his eyes became fixated on his own hand on the table, its ungloved paleness standing out against the table's slate grey backdrop.

"I joined the army in nineteen thirty-nine in an attempt to make my father proud of me, as he had fought and served during the First World War. I was commended for terrible things; crimes that I should have never committed. I was so naïve and caught up by the Füher's message that I forgot how to be human; that is, until my unit was marched through Germany and parts of Austria. I was a part of Kristallnaucht [3], I was part of the invasion of Poland [4], and now, at the age of thirty I am old." The older man raised his gaze to meet Dex's; sorrow filling it passed the brim so that one streak of salty moisture trekked down his cheek.

"The last straw was when my men and I were to assist in the guarding of internment camps." The Kommandant's gaze fell once again to the table, hiding his face under the brim of his hat and displaying the 'hail Hitler' [5] that was placed upon it. Dex repressed a shudder as he listened, watching the man before him with both disgust and pity.

"I saw what we'd done to them. I never knew true cruelty until that camp; I was never as cruel as I was there. I became a monster…until I met _him_." The emphasis on the word 'him' seemed to resonate in Dex's mind, making him even more curious about the man before him that he had been originally.

"I was on guard duty in the barracks, as it was the night off for one of the other lieutenants and I was situated at the front entrance. They had just brought along a new batch of prisoners and were still situating them to the horrors of the labor camps. They didn't know all the rules or how to act around us in the new environment quite yet, but they still needed to know their place," He paused at this, his hand on the table reaching up to wipe his face off slightly, "Or so I used to think. I was alert, on watch, and determined to be the perfect Scheisskopf Nazi [6]. I had been on guard for most of the night and would soon turn my duty over to Herr Schweighöfer [7] when I heard humming."

"You heard humming?" Dex slapped a hand over his mouth as quickly as he spoke, his eyes widening as far as they could go in trepidation.

"I'm sorry, Kommandant, when I don't have gum I start talkin' like Cap'n and I get all ridiculous and-."

"I understand, it's a very odd thing to say. Your disbelief is easily understandable, Dexter." The Kommandant cut Dex off by raising his hand in the air in a placating gesture and speaking up, his voice once again returning to its normal state. Dex could only nod as he was once again befuddled by the older man.

"As I was saying, I heard humming," The Kommandant paused to glance at Dex, making sure he had returned to his story before continuing on, "Generally, the prisoners would keep quiet except for very low whispers; most of the time, though, they tried to sleep as much as they could; so, when I heard humming, I went in to investigate."

Dex nodded, a pure reaction to make sure the other man knew he was following him.

"I found him lying in the bottom bunk, his eyes closed, and his fingers swiftly mimicking a pianist's movements. He seemed not to take any notice of me; he just kept playing his invisible piano. I stood in silence, watching him, waiting for him to finish his piece before I knelt down next to him and shone my torch in his face." The officer seemed to be lost in the memory as he once again stopped to let this information sink in, his eyes almost glazed over as he stared above my head, seemingly remembering the event.

"What happened then?" Dex interrupted, his voice betraying his interest in the tale like a little kid would any tale. A small smile broke the cold look to the man across from Dex, making him seem just for that second like any other man instead of a person who orchestrated the murders of probably hundreds.

"He finally noticed me and flinched back, holding his hand up to the light and saying 'God, Lieutenant, could you not shine that light in my face? I'm trying to play here.' To say that I was stunned into silence would be an understatement. Immediately I shone the beam of light towards the floor, causing him to smile at me as if…" The Kommandant faltered again, his eyes once again looking towards the floor.

"As if what?" Dex questioned, trying to figure out the mystery, wanting to know what could change such a person's whole view on life.

"As if I were a human being," The Kommandant finished, his face falling and his tone hoarse, "After a few seconds of silence I asked him what he had been playing, not quite able to return to the way I was supposed to act, and we started talking. I was conversing with someone who I expected to hate me, but didn't, and I felt different around him."

"How so?" Dex urged the other man to speak, his body now literally on the edge of the seat as he listened to the other man, wanting to know how that singular person had changed the man before him.

"I didn't feel like a monster." As soon as the Kommandant quit speaking a loud knock resounded, causing them both to sit bolt upright. A few seconds passed as they settled themselves into their roles, Dex taking the frightened prisoner approach while the Kommandant's whole persona grew cold and imposing. Again the person outside knocked, the knock slightly louder in volume than the first. Quickly Dex threw himself into the corner of the small room, trying his best to look as though he'd been terrorized and belittled.

"Geben Sie!" [8] The Kommandant spoke, standing up from his seat at the table to turn and face the newest addition to their space. The door swung open easily and two pairs of footsteps were heard entering the room before the door was once again closed. Silence shrouded the room in mystery, making Dex reluctant to look up from his feigned terrorized position.

"Guten Morgen, Kommandant. Ich sehe, Sie haben unser Paket bereit zu gehen?" [9] A woman's voice cut through the tension like a knife, the unmistakable smile in the tone causing Dex to nearly have a heart attack.

"Ja, ich glaube ja, Squadron Leader." [10] The Kommandant replied before doing an about-face and walking over to Dex, stopping only to kneel down next to him from his spot in the corner.

"Dexter, I think you might want to look up now." The Kommandant spoke, his hand finding purchase on Dex's shoulder once more, though Dex refused to tense up once more. Dex slowly unfurled himself from the 'defensive' position he took, his head rising so that he could look up, over the edge of the table and see the one face he'd been wanting to see since he'd arrived on the warship.

"Dex?" Was the only word Joe could get out of his mouth before the small mechanic practically leapt towards him, bringing the slightly taller man's head down with one hand so that he could kiss him.

* * *

They had been flying above the cloud line for far too long, in Joe's opinion, and it was starting to make him fidget. Never had the Sky Captain opted to sit in the passenger seat in his life, but for once, he let Franky do all of the flying. They had chosen the poor Sergeant May's plane, as he was part of the amphibious squadron, in case of any tries at sabotage. It was common knowledge that the Polly was Joe's plane and Westbrook knew from working on Franky's plane which one it was. Therefore, Franky decided she would be pilot and Joe would be passenger because she'd 'Flown this type of plane before'. Joe hardly saw the difference, but he understood her reasoning.

'You're emotionally compromised.' She'd said to him, something Franky usually would say to get Joe to see reason in his rash actions, although, this time, he could say the same about her. A sigh flew past Joe's lips before he even had the chance to stop it and he nearly smacked himself in the head with the pilot's seat.

'_This isn't some fly-day for us, it's a rescue mission and it's for Dex, so get it together, Joe!' _Joe yelled at himself in his mind before he took a deep breath and looked out the visor of the plane. Joe's brow furrowed in puzzlement as he noticed that they were now breaking through cloud coverage and were diving towards the water, but with no warship in sight.

'_Of course, you ninny! You can't just go landing on a Nazi warship, declaring you're going to just pop in a rescue your lover, who happens to be a man, and also leaving heavy one Kommandant!'_ Joe reprimanded himself, trying to keep himself at least somewhat sharp and not shrouded in the depressive guilt that was having to actually _rescue _Dex.

"We're going under." Franky's voice startled him out of his thoughts and he looked up just in time to see them breach the water's surface and plunge into dark depths of the ocean. Joe hadn't even heard Franky prepare the plane for submersion he was so lost in his thoughts.

'_Definitely emotionally compromised.' _He scoffed at himself before returning his attention back onto the task at hand; making sure to remember all that Franky told him.

"We're going to only breach the water's surface when board the ship. There is a hull, an escape hull, that is going to be opened by one of the Kommandant's trusted men—."

"How do we know we can trust this man, let alone the Kommandant?" Joe cut Franky off, his brow scrunching in suspicion.

"The Kommandant found us, not the other way around, and he's helped at least a hundred Jewish peoples escape while also giving us the movements of the Nazi Naval Fleet," Franky paused, letting this new information seep in for Joe before continuing, "And if he says he trusts this man with his life, then he trusts this man with his life."

"Alright….what's next?" Joe said, reminding himself that he would never question Franky again if her icy tone of voice was anything to go by.

"Then we change into uniform. You look Aryan, so you will take the Kommandant's bars and be Lieutenant Schleiden. [11] I will be the Kommandant's recently hired personal secretary, Iiana Lindemann. [12] We will make our way to the interrogation room that the Kommandant has Dex in where we will then discuss the next part of the plan." Franky's no-nonsense tone was enough of a hint to Joe that they were going deep undercover and that this wasn't a time to be the Sky Captain, it was time to be Joe Sullivan who was going to be demoted to Lieutenant Schleiden.

"Okay." Was all Joe could muster as the gravity of the situation caught up with him and he slowly fell back into his seat, wishing that he were the one flying so that he could at least be doing something instead of sitting there, waiting for the images of Dex being tortured to fill his head.

* * *

"We're here Joseph, get ready to move as fast as possible. As soon as I set the plane to auto-pilot, we're going to need to climb the emergency ladder." Franky spoke, turning slightly in her seat to look at Joe. Joe nodded, feeling slightly more confident now that he was going to go do something to free his Dex, not just sit there pathetically and wait.

"Three….two….one…now!" Franky whispered loudly as they breached the surface and the visor of the plane shot back quickly to let them out. Joe jumped out first, walking quickly and as quietly as he could on the slick wing before grabbing onto the rope ladder that was lowered for them and climbing up, not even waiting for Franky. The feeling of someone else climbing below him followed soon after and a smirk formed on Joe's face before he steeled himself again and began to climb faster, wanting to reach the hull as quick as possible.

It took only a matter of minutes for them to climb all the way up, but once they were inside they were met with only an empty hallway. Slightly suspicious they both pulled out their firearms, aiming down each end of the hallway respectively. They stilled, posed and ready for battle, until the sound of very timid footsteps began to echo through the hall. Franky turned around just in time to force Joe to lower his weapon as a tall, thin man appeared around the corner wearing the garb of a Nazi soldier.

"Ach, Sie haben es geschafft." [13] The man spoke, his German slightly accented and his smile warm and welcoming. Franky nodded briskly, her small smile becoming slightly larger and her eyebrow rising in that way only Franky could raise it.

"Ja, wir ... und Sie haben es geschafft, als auch, wie ich sehe." [14] Franky spoke, her British accent disappearing under years of perfection. The man's smile became a full blown grin before he nodded and moved closer, soon standing right in front of them.

Ja, das habe ich. Nun ist es Zeit für Sie zwei zu ändern…..Please, follow me." [15] The man spoke, changing into English as he seemed to notice the lost look on Joe's face. Franky only smiled and nodded, literally dragging Joe down the hallway to the room the man walked into so that they could put on their outfits.

* * *

"You speak German and English with an accent." Joe stated as the man from earlier, now known to them as Andrzej, who was currently placing the bars of a Lieutenant on Joe's uniform. They were to be lined up perfectly, just like any medals the Kommandant had seen fit to let them borrow and the iron cross, which was generally bestowed upon ranking officers for their combat valor.

"Yes…I am Polish, sir." Andrzej spoke as he stepped back, his large grin having faded a long time ago and now the haunted look of a man who had seen far too much for his age replacing it. Joe felt the need to apologize, but the surprise that sparked through him seemed to freeze him in place.

"You are Polish? How have you stayed hidden?" [16] Franky stepped in, asking the question of the hour. Andrzej turned his head to look at her, his eyes seeming hollow while a small smile formed on his face.

"I haven't stepped foot outside the Kommandant's quarters until today." Andrzej's words weighed heavy in the air, the gravity of the fact that he had only had the Kommandant as his only confidant and friend, let alone that he even was living and was talking to him, slowly sinking in.

"He saved you?" Joe questioned, but just as he was about to get an answer, Franky interrupted Andrej.

"I'm sorry, but we must really keep to schedule. Andrej, will you take us to the interrogation room?" Franky questioned, giving Joe a pointed look before Andrej nodded to her and turned around quickly, opening the door and looking back to them to motion for them to follow.

"Komm, folge mir nach." [17]

* * *

"Dex?" Joe's heart fluttered at the look Dex gave him before the young mechanic shot towards him yanked him down for a kiss. Instantly Joe's arms wrapped around the shorter man, pulling him as close as he could manage while Dex's right hand pulled his head down closer and his left went to Joe's cheek. A slight cough from Franky's direction caused them to quickly separate, but only just far away enough for it to be seen as proper if anyone were to walk in.

"So, Kommandant….how the devil to we get out of here?"

* * *

Facts and Translations:

[1]

_In nineteen thirty-three we all hoped that we would save ourselves by electing him to office._

Hitler was elected Chancellor, not Füher, of Germany.

[2]

_By nineteen thirty-nine we were practically out of debt and we had built an army._

By now, Hitler is Füher and has made the secret pact with Russia that they will leave him be if he lets them have half of Poland.

[3 & 4]

_I was a part of Kristallnaucht, I was part of the invasion of Poland, and now, at the age of thirty I am old._

Kristallnaucht is the 'Night of broken glass' or the 'Night of glass', which was the invasion of Nazi Germany and Austria by the Nazi Army. The invasion of Poland was the first time Blitzkreig or 'lightening war' was fought. Also, the Ramones sing the song 'Blitzkreig Bop' which is about the invasion of Poland, I believe. The one that goes 'Hey Ho Let's Go' in the beginning.

[5]

'_hail Hitler'_

This is probably spelled Heil Hitler, but I don't really care to Heil him, so meh. This is the symbol of the hawk holding a swastika. I've seen it on their hats before, although I'm not sure if it's just the formal wear or not. Sometimes it was just the Iron cross, other times it was just the hawk, etc.

[6]

_Scheisskopf Nazi_

Shit head Nazi. That's all it means. He's very bitter, mind you, so, even if you're a neo-Nazi, you got to admit, you just learned how to spell shit head…kind of.

[7]

_Herr Schweighöfer_

I feel kind of bad for associating Matthias Schweighöfer in this, but his last name is German and I am lazy.

[8 - 10]

"_Geben Sie!"_

"Enter!"

"_Guten Morgen, Kommandant. Ich sehe, Sie haben unser Paket bereit zu gehen?"_

"Good morning, Commander. I see you have our package ready? "

"_Ja, ich glaube ja, Squadron Leader."_

"Yes, I think so, Squadron Leader."

[11 & 12]

_Lieutenant Schleiden. Iiana Lindemann. _

Schleiden is a name I accidentally found out was German and Iiana is after a friend of mine from Germany. Lindemann is Till Lindemann's last name and he is the lead singer of Rammstein.

[13 – 15]

"_Ach, Sie haben es geschafft." _

"Ah, I see you've made it."

"Ja, wir ... und Sie haben es geschafft, als auch, wie ich sehe."

"Yes, we did…..and I you've made it as well, I see."

"Ja, das habe ich. Nun ist es Zeit für Sie zwei zu ändern…..Please, follow me."

"Yes, I have. Now it's time for you two to chance….Please, follow me."

[16]

_How have you stayed hidden?_

The Polish were looked upon as dirty to the Germans, so they decimated them and tried to destroy an entire race of people. Thanks to people like Captain Wilm Hosenfeld and the people who tried to hide Poles like Wladyslaw Spilzman, they didn't. It's also ridiculous that they thought this, but that's my opinion.

[17]

"_Komm, folge mir nach."_

"Come, follow me."

End of Facts and Translations.

A/N: Some of my translations are not literal because English and German, however similar they should be [English is a Germanic language], they do not always coincide. That's because we thought we'd just make it harder for everyone to learn by making up new slang every few years/months/days. Yay Americans, we're just awesome.

Also, some of this is my opinion and some of this may not be completely correct. If you know this, please kindly correct me. I would rather not be flamed. Thank you!

Also…..

IT'S FOUR IN THE MORNING.

IT'S FOUR IN THE FUNKIN' MORNING.

[Alright, no more Shaun of the Dead clips for me. My eyes are burning, it's time to sleep.]

Sorry that it took so long, but…here it is. Forgive it for any mistakes.

Please read and review kindly! [Because you can read kindly.]

-Aimze


End file.
